Recording media are required to continuously perform basic functions such as read and write. Examples of recording media include optical, magnetic (e.g. hard drives) and solid-state recording media (e.g. flash memory, ROM, PROM).
Read and write operations, along with other even more complex operations, may differ substantially in the electric power consumption needs placed on a recording medium. Customarily, the controller used to operate a recording medium (sometimes referred to herein as a “recording medium controller”) does not accept or store information regarding the power supply. Rather, in executing an operation, the controller blindly uses all available power in order to make the operation more time efficient and prompt. As such, the recording medium does not always draw a constant amount of current. Instead, the current drawn can vary from a near-zero value when the medium is inactive, to a maximum consumption when active.
If the operation uses power unrestrainedly, an excess of power can produce unwanted results such as unintentionally destroying data recorded in the recording medium or destroying the circuitry in the recording medium. The excess of power supply resulting from such uncontrolled power usage can also hinder the successful execution of operations on a recording medium.